Russia to train and upgrade Cuban military

Oh there's some good news! This one almost got past me over the weekend - but the Miami Herald actually reported the story.

Obama: "Gosh, geez Vladimir, I want to show you how nice I am...I am not going to protect Eastern Europe from you!"

Putin: "Ees good - I vill revard you by trhaining Cooban military."

Obama: "See, I knew we could get along!"

Putin: "Simpleton."

American Press Headline: "Obama scores major victory over Russians" Sub-head: "Russians to aid Cuban economy to reduce boat people population."

The reality - something simp-libs are blissfully unaware of:

``Although maintaining a military presence in Latin America has logistical and financial problems for Russia, it will still force the United States to address the Russian presence in its backyard,'' wrote Stratfor, a private geopolitical analysis firm based in Austin, Texas.

Moscow may also be interested in reopening the Lourdes electronic eavesdropping facility in Cuba that it closed under U.S. pressures in 2001, wrote Jaime Suchlicki, director of the Institute for Cuban and Cuban American Studies at the University of Miami.

Makarov has been in Cuba several days leading a delegation that the newspaper Granma reported includes Lt. Gen. Alexander Shlyakhturov, head of the Russian military intelligence agency known as GRU, and Maj. Gen. Vyacheslav M. Proshkin, head of the General Staff's International Military Cooperation department.

The Stratfor report said Makarov declared on Friday that Russia ``will aid Cuba in the near future in modernizing its Soviet-era equipment and in training the country's military personnel'' Makarov also announced ``that preparations are under way for Russian warships to visit Cuba soon,'' the report added

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